A cost escalation of 50 percent (INR 63,000 crore, in this case) or more, requires approval again from the Ministry of Finance, before the Defense Acquisitions Council (DAC) can proceed with it. With the cost of the tender for India safely ranging from INR 83,000 crore to 1,25,000 crore, the revision of the estimated expenditure on the MMRCA would require the approval of the finance ministry.
Rafale wins MMRCA
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The French Dassault fighter aircraft Rafale has been selected to be the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Dassault beat the four-nation consortium’s Eurofighter on price, with the fighter being identified as L1, or the lowest technically qualified bid. StratPost understands that Dassault has been issued a letter from…
Republic Day Roll of Honor
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The complete list of gallantry awardees, this Republic Day.
Roll of Martyrs
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The following is the list of army personnel who lost their lives in service, in the past year.
Courage under fire
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Some of the stories of the courage displayed by India’s armed forces, awarded for conspicuous gallantry this Republic Day.
Army Day Special: Artillery Center’s fire demo
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Check out the imagery from the Artillery Center’s firepower demonstration Ex-Topchi, held at Deolali last week. Enjoy!
Army Day Special: Bonus pictures of vintage armor
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Here’s a rare look at the vintage armor housed and carefully curated at the Armored Corps Center’s museum. Enjoy this history of armor.
Army Day Special: Armor and Mechanized Forces
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Check out this image gallery of the exhibition organized by the Armored Corps Center at their firing ranges in Ahmednagar, aka Armored Nagar.
Army Day Special: The Soaring Gideons
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Your correspondent was invited to visit an army aviation squadron in Jammu and Kashmir, to get a first hand feel of their functioning. Take a look at the operating routine of the 202 Army Aviation Squadron (UH), which operates the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
Army’s artillery buy in a confused mess
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In the background of these challenges and the defence ministry’s inaction on a decision to blacklist the Singapore-based company, the OFB mandate should not become an excuse for lack of movement on the procurement of artillery by the army. Already, the ministry has been reported to have indicated it cannot move on the procurement as the matter is sub judice. At the same time, it has not decided the issue either, as is evident from the observations of the court. This has held up the acquisition of crucial types of artillery again, after the multiple cancellation of tenders since the Bofors buy.
Letter on army chief my personal opinion: Amarinder
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In a clarification issued here after it was reported that Former Punjab chief minister, Amarinder Singh had favored correcting the birth records of the army chief in a letter to letter he wrote to Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony, the state Congress president said he had written the letter about a month ago putting forth his “opinion on the issue” only in his “personal capacity”.
Court to issue directions in blacklisting case
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“The hearing qua the issue of black-listing of the petitioner (Singapore Technologies Kinetics) was concluded on 18.05.2011. Despite this, we are still informed that the final order qua the issue of black-listing of the petitioner has still not been issued,” observed the Delhi High Court.
MBDA pitches Mistral for Indian VSHORAD tender
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‘With Mistral having already won a competition to arm India’s ALH Dhruv helicopters, MBDA has also been keen to propose all the advantages that the missile offers as a ground-based air defense weapon’, calling the ‘supply logistics’, ‘service and maintenance benefits’ of a ‘multiple use missile’ to be ‘an added advantage’.
Bell Boeing to brief India on V-22 Osprey
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Minister of State for Defense, Mallipudi Mangapati Pallam Raju, accompanied by the deputy chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, asked the Bell Boeing V-22 Tiltrotor Team for a briefing on the aircraft.
RUAG offers HAL upgraded Dornier
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RUAG’s Vice President for Sales and Business Development, Klaus-Peter Leinauer told StratPost at the Dubai Air Show last week, “The difference between the Dornier 228 New Generation and the old version which is being produced in India under license is the glass cockpit. And you can see here the five bladed propeller and the engine – the Honeywell (Garrett) TPE 331 engine – dash 10.”
